North Carolina Business Startup Guides

Opening a Business in Rockingham, North Carolina

Contemplating starting a business in Rockingham, North Carolina? We walk you through the process of opening a business in Rockingham.

Which Business to Choose?

An important decision is what kind of business you want to start. To help you decide on a business type, we encourage you to read Business Ideas That Don't Make Sense.

For in-depth how-to guides on how to start specific businesses, browse our Good Businesses to Start section of our site. For example, you might be interested in our Starting a Computer Clubs Business guide or our How to Start a Gynecology Physician Referrals Business guide.

Always keep in mind that starting a business in Rockingham has some implications. If Rockingham already has plenty of the kind of business you want to start, you might want to change your plans. A critical consideration is whether Rockingham demographics mesh well with your startup concept.

Rockingham, North Carolina Demographic Information

Rockingham has an active business community that includes small businesses, mid-sized businesses and large businesses.

To give you a better feel for Rockingham demographics for small businesses, we have tabulated the small business sizes, based on number of employees, for business in Rockingham.

Business Size
# of
Businesses
1-4 Employees
974
5-9 Employees
426
10-19 Employees
234
20-49 Employees
201
50-99 Employees
39
100-249 Employees
15
250-499 Employees
9
500-999 Employees
0
1000+ Employees
3
All Rockingham Businesses
1901

As a new Rockingham entrepreneur, you may also be interested in the table below. It shows how many businesses there are in Rockingham for each business category. By looking at this chart, you can get a general sense for how much competition there is in the business niche that you are pursuing.

Business Type
# of
Businesses
Amusement Arcades
1
Architectural Services
1
Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores
7
Baked Goods Stores
2
Beauty Salons
1
Beer and Ale Merchant Wholesalers
1
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores
1
Book Stores
1
Bowling Centers
1
Broadwoven Fabric Mills
1
Business Associations
2
Car Washes
1
Cemeteries and Crematories
1
Child and Youth Services
1
Civic and Social Organizations
1
Claims Adjusting
1
Coin-Operated Laundries and Drycleaners
4
Computer and Software Stores
3
Computer Systems Design Services
2
Consumer Lending
7
Convenience Stores
7
Dental Laboratories
1
Direct Life Insurance Carriers
2
Discount Department Stores
1
Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages)
1
Drywall and Insulation Contractors
2
Electric Power Distribution
2
Electrical Contractors
10
Exterminating and Pest Control Services
1
Family Clothing Stores
2
Family Planning Centers
1
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
5
Flooring Contractors
3
Florists
3
Food (Health) Supplement Stores
2
Food Service Contractors
1
Framing Contractors
1
Freight Transportation Arrangement
1
Full-Service Restaurants
17
Funeral Homes and Funeral Services
3
Furniture Stores
7
General Automotive Repair
12
Gift, Novelty, and Souvenir Stores
4
Golf Courses and Country Clubs
1
Graphic Design Services
1
Gypsum Product Manufacturing
1
Hardware Stores
1
Home Centers
1
Home Health Care Services
5
Household Appliance Stores
1
Insurance Agencies and Brokerages
12
Interior Design Services
1
Janitorial Services
1
Jewelry Stores
5
Land Subdivision
3
Landscaping Services
4
Limited-Service Restaurants
22
Logging
2
Machine Shops
2
Masonry Contractors
2
Men's Clothing Stores
1
Motor and Generator Manufacturing
1
Motor Vehicle Towing
1
Nail Salons
1
Natural Gas Distribution
1
New Car Dealers
5
New Housing Operative Builders
1
Newspaper Publishers
1
Nursing Care Facilities
1
Office Administrative Services
3
Offices of Certified Public Accountants
5
Offices of Chiropractors
2
Offices of Dentists
4
Offices of Lawyers
17
Offices of Optometrists
1
Offices of Podiatrists
1
Offices of Real Estate Appraisers
2
Optical Goods Stores
2
Outdoor Power Equipment Stores
1
Paging
1
Paint and Coating Manufacturing
1
Paint and Wallpaper Stores
2
Painting and Wall Covering Contractors
1
Paper (except Newsprint) Mills
1
Pet and Pet Supplies Stores
2
Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals
4
Pharmacies and Drug Stores
3
Poultry Processing
1
Private Mail Centers
1
Racetracks
1
Radio Stations
2
Real Estate Credit
1
Recreational Vehicle Dealers
1
Residential Remodelers
3
Retail Bakeries
1
Roofing Contractors
1
Sales Financing
3
Sanitary Paper Product Manufacturing
2
Securities Brokerage
2
Septic Tank and Related Services
1
Sheer Hosiery Mills
1
Shoe Stores
3
Siding Contractors
1
Site Preparation Contractors
2
Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars
3
Special Needs Transportation
1
Sporting Goods Stores
4
Sports and Recreation Instruction
1
Tax Preparation Services
5
Temporary Help Services
2
Tile and Terrazzo Contractors
1
Tire Dealers
3
Tobacco Stores
2
Used Car Dealers
10
Used Merchandise Stores
2
Veterinary Services
1
Video Tape and Disc Rental
5
Vocational Rehabilitation Services
1
Voluntary Health Organizations
1
Wired Telecommunications Carriers
1
Women's Clothing Stores
3
Wood Container and Pallet Manufacturing
1

Have You Considered Franchising?

As you drive around Rockingham, you'll see that franchises make up a large percentage of local businesses. But is franchising the right option for you?

Most business experts recommend that you evaluate the possibility of your buying a franchise opportunity. To help you learn more about franchising, we've gathered a ton of articles on franchising, including Franchise Law. Become a franchising expert of sorts by reading more of our Articles on Franchising.

To learn about specific franchise opportunities, check out our Franchise Directory.

Sample franchise opportunities include Blue Chip Cookies and Juan's Mexicali. Alternatively, you can browse franchise categories, such as Closet Design and Construction Franchises and Fast Food Franchises.

Note on Rockingham Franchise Opportunities: You will need to contact franchisors directly to see if their franchises are available in Rockingham.

Naming the Company

A big decision when starting a company is choosing a company name. Believe it or not, choosing a good company name can be a big contributor to your business success.

Companies like Starbucks, Apple, Target, Microsoft and Intuit all have strong company names that are easy to remember and have become well-loved brands. Wouldn't it be nice if your new company name got on a similar track?

For other considerations regarding naming a company, we recommend this article: Naming a Business.

On a final note, given that you are opening a business in Rockingham, it's critical that you ensure that no other North Carolina company is using the business name you want to use.

Don't Skip the Business Plan

A business plan is essential to the health of your new business. In effect, your business plan is your game plan for how you hope to grow your business. Not having a business plan is a recipe for disaster.

If writing a business plan is on your to-do list, be sure to read Business Plan Contests. You should also take advantage of free business counselors available to you through your local SCORE chapter in North Carolina.

Marketing Your New Company

Whether your goal is to attract Rockingham customers or you plan on selling elsewhere, you need a great marketing plan.

There are myriad resources on this site to help you with your marketing plan. Working with an Advertising Agency is an article that will stimulate a few thoughts on your marketing plan. That's just a taste of the many useful articles we have on Marketing a Small Business.

Selling Tips

Do you know how to sell? In order to attract customers to your new Rockingham business, you need to focus on sales.

So what does it take to bring in more prospects and close more business? The good news is we can help you to make selling a big competitve advantage for your new firm.

Closing Sales Techniques is worth reading, as it may give you some good ideas on how to sell your products or services. We have many more good articles on selling that you may enjoy reading.

Next Steps

As an entrepreneur in Rockingham, you won't be working for the boss anymore. You are the boss.

If you choose the right business and love what you do, you will greatly increase your odds of success.

This site is all about helping entrepreneurs in Rockingham and elsewhere to achieve real success. We have a wealth of experience in business start-ups, financing, marketing, sales and more...and we've made all of our knowledge available to you.

More Entrepreneurial Resources for Starting a Business in Rockingham, North Carolina

Here are more links that we believe will help you be successful in starting a business in Rockingham.

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